Tonight at St. Bernards Church in Saranac Lake the Elegua Duo performs from 8 – 9:30 pm. Classical musicians, Claire Black and Ginevra Ventre, pianist and cellist respectively, will be recording for NCPR. Some of the composers they embrace are Beethoven, Chopin and Britten. They will then be in Westport on Friday from 7:30 – 9 pm for the Essex Community Concert Series and Blue Mountain Lake for an interactive children’s workshop. The workshop will be held at The Adirondack Center for The Arts from 3:30 – 5 pm.

Also tonight in Saranac Lake at 6:30 pm, pianist and accordionist Radoslav Lorkovic is going to be in Berkley Square. He is so accomplished – throwing different styles of music into his original compositions; classical, blues, swing and zydeco to name a few. I’m excited that he’s in town and changed my plans to be at his concert.

Tonight in Westport at Ballard Park, Meadowmount Classical presents an evening of Chamber music at 7 pm. As a child my folks used to take me to Meadowmount concerts and despite being antsy on occasion, I loved going. They gave me a deep appreciation and understanding of classical music even though I haven’t studied it formally. I also think those concerts helped teach patience and respect for the silent moments in music and therefore in life.

Tonight, last but not least, at the Elizabethtown gazebo; Larry Stone, Julie Robards and Max Van Wie will be playing at 7 pm. Julie is a great bluegrass musician, you can catch her with the band Stacked Deck (which Larry is also part of) and Larry plays some great blues/swing/country with his band Stoneman Blues Band. They’re so talented individually that as a duo they must put on a good show. If you miss them tonight, catch them tomorrow from 7 – 9 pm at the Deers Head Inn also in Elizabethtown.

In Saranac Lake on Friday at the Waterhole Pie Boys Flat begins at 10 pm. It’s Rugby Weekend so you know it’s going to be crazy. I listened to these guys online and I think they’ll do a fine job keeping everyone pumped and jumping with their blend of reggae, funk and rock.

Also on Friday in Plattsburgh Crow Party is playing at the Monopole at 10 pm. A great hard-hitting blues band as far as I’m concerned – my only complaint with these guys is that even though they purposely compose short songs, I sometimes wish they’d just keep playing. When the groove is really working and people are up and dancing more of the same is better than fine, it’s fantastic. Russ Bailey, Franz Pope and Matt Rabideau are all excellent musicians! Call 563-2222 for more information.

On Saturday Blues For Breakfast is playing at North Creek Station and is a Jerry Garcia tribute band. August 1st also happens to be Jerry Garcia’s birthday. I found out about this show from Nate Pelton’s website adkmusic.com. Thanks, Nate!

Looking into next week: On Monday, August 3rd at 11 am, Earthtunes will put on a interactive performance for children and adults at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake. Playing mandolin, viola and guitars, Steve Mayone and Barb Herson use different musical styles to teach their audiences about the environment and how to care for it.

On Tuesday, August 4th, The Pines Inn Songs at Mirror Lake series continues with Spiritual Rez. A 7-piece funky reggae band is giving a free 7 pm concert a Mid’s Park in Lake Placid. These concert are usually of a very high quality and excellent. I like what i’ve been listening to online of these guys.

photo: Russ Bailey of Crow Party